End-of-Life Issues: Online Accounts/Online Bill Paying

Today, many people pay their bills online. The amount of the bill is automatically deducted from their bank accounts, and they receive a statement through email telling them the payment was made and giving them the amount of the payment. Paying bills this way is easy and convenient. But if someone else is managing your accounts for you and doesn't have access to your email, there is no paperwork about the accounts for them to review.

If you pay bills online, it's a good idea to print out the latest email message from each account. That way whoever is overseeing your accounts can make sure enough money is available to pay them.

Many attorneys recommend making a list of all your email accounts, including service provider, log-in name, and password, just in case your family needs to access the accounts.